Update on WIP: First Comments In!

Not Out Of The Woods Yet. (By Galatà Maria Grazia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Not Out Of The Woods Yet. (By Galatà Maria Grazia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

I just received my first set of comments in on my WIP, and wow, I am so humbled and honored by this reader’s thoughts—and, well, praise—for the work-in-question! My head’s still spinning! I still have three other’s inputs I’m awaiting, but this first set of comments are quite encouraging!

So, here are some comments from Edie Scott, who has graciously allowed me to reprint her comments and use her name. Edie is a big reader across all genres. After she had finished reading my WIP, I’d sent her some questions to help me assess the whole effort. I’ve included some my questions (the others give away too much of the story, so I left them out of this post) where necessary, and deleted content that would give away too much of the story or is of a more personal note:

Overall: Edie says: “Well, I have to say that this story really was very impacting….”

Question: So, did you think it all “fit” the story?

Answer: Everything fit so well. To use an old cliché, it fit like a glove. There was no getting lost in the “action,” there were no questions and no left over ideas just hanging out there. The story certainly required the reader to “get lost” in the book or they would lose so much of the story line, but this fit…perfect!!!

Question: Wasn’t “too much”? Yes, graphic, but did the scenes “work” for the given story? I was trying to strike a contrast between the mental and the physical. It had to be stark.

Answer: I think if you would have been less graphic the story would have been less intriguing and less grabbing. I honestly felt the story grab me from my current reality into what was truly happening in this guy’s mind. <Deleted material> the book was one I couldn’t put down…the other “scenes” <deleted material> detailing and deepening the storyline….

Question: The ending make sense?

Answer: The ending shocked me to be honest with you and that is why I think it was awesome! I expected the story to just continue how it was <deleted content>. However, the ending you chose almost made me want to stand up and cheer for Benjamin…it actually made me feel happy and excited for him.

Question: Any other comments?

Answer: I saw this question last night and gave it a lot of thought. I’m not one to tell you what you can do better because in all honesty what you do is great. You have gone so out of your comfort zone and so far out of the box with this one and then to have it turn out so intriguingly and mind-bogglingly, what could you possibly do to make it better?

I think you actually are successful with this new path…to me because the broad difference between what you are used to and what this book entails…that should totally boost your confidence to write anything you want! That’s the idea of a great author…a person who can write variety and be brave enough to embark on an entirely different story line…your you…I can never think of any kind of criticism, constructive or otherwise…I just love what you write.

***

Thank you, Edie, for all your support and generous words!

As mentioned, I still have to receive additional comments from three more readers, including my Cover Dude, Lon Kirschner (also keep an eye out for some near-future blog posts, probably starting this Fall, where Lon and I are going to highlight and comment on some of his work, which I love! I’m really looking forward to these posts!), then incorporate them, format them, then will release it to the world. I’m still hoping for a July/August 2015 release!

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